1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to methods to reduce carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere, and more in particular to methods to reduce carbon dioxide in the water based on the fertilization of Oceanic waters with ferrous Iron. In the present application Iron (II), Ferrous Iron, and Bioavailable Iron will be used interchengeably as it is generally accepted that due to its solubility Iron (II) is the form of iron predominantly available to biological organisms.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Massive burning of fossil fuels initiated with the industrial revolution lead to an increased production of carbon dioxide freely introduced in the Earth's atmosphere from different sources such as factories, power plants, gas burners, car exhausts and the like. This phenomenon, commonly known as the “greenhouse effect,” has lead to a more generalized effect known as global warming, now recognized as a real and significant threat to the earth and its inhabitants.
Several different methods have been proposed to reduce the atmosphere's carbon dioxide content, such methods include mechanical processes such as freezing carbon dioxide into dry ice bars and storing it in the ocean beds, and biogenic processes such as an increase photosynthetic activity of the Northern forests.
Due to the large extent of the resources needed to develop and carry on operations that could affect the Carbon Dioxide balance in the atmosphere with traditional techniques most of these methods that are already present in the literature have now been abandoned or discontinued.
Ocean micro-algae (phytoplankton) are known to consume massive amounts of carbon dioxide and emit massive amounts of oxygen during metabolic photosynthesis, via chlorophyll. It has been demonstrated by different scientific experiments that Iron is the limiting nutrient for algal developments in those oceanic waters featuring low productivity but a relatively high concentration of nutrients.
Different methods have been suggested in the prior art to add iron to seawater in order to promote photosynthetic activity in the photic region. These methods have been described and published by various authors including the American engineer Michael Markels, and the ones whose the inventors have knowledge have been listed in the attached Information Disclosure Statement (IDS).
Despite all the efforts listed above prior art patents describe structures that are either not truly efficient or else involve complicated, expensive, and overly difficult assembly and/or disassembly parts and procedures. In the specific the step that limits most of the methods disclosed in the prior art to reduce atmospheric Carbon Dioxide via an increase of the phytoplankton is the ability to provide bioavailable iron.
Iron has been recognized as a limiting nutrient in some oceanic regions designated as High Nutrients Low Chlorophyll (HNLC) regions. Most of the prior art methods disclose listed in the body of this application disclose ways of fertilizing these regions but fail to address the issue of providing bioavailable iron over a long period of time. Other devices have been advertised on various media but never patented or described into a printed publication.
The present invention is concerned with the removal of carbon dioxide, over a period of several or more years. This involves the deployment of a large scale fertilizer apparatus over defined ocean surfaces distributing iron in order to stimulate the growth of micro-algae that in turn would consume billions of tons of carbon dioxide.
The net effect of this process is to remove the Carbon Dioxide from the earth's Atmosphere and store it in the Ocean waters.
The method and apparatus of the present invention, then, is vastly preferred over the prior art as to a means of removing Carbon Dioxide from the Earth's Atmosphere without employing a large amount of equipment and resources. It is efficient, effective and does not require the intensive use of expensive ships fitted with specialized equipment, or the dumping at sea of dangerous chemicals.
From a macro-biological standpoint, the resultant increase in marine life from the massive algae growth may increase overall marine productivity as proposed in different U.S. Patent Documents.